Aft salon in a sailboat

This is kind of a random question.

In the past I have seen a sailboat design that has had a unique interior arrangement. The main salon and galley were in the stern of the boat.

I was just wondering if anyone knows of designers who have used this arrangement. I have been scouring the net for a while trying to come across this design, but to no avail. Thanks.

Jeff

 

Jim Brown and John Marples have used that arrangement for the classic Searunner designs. - http://www.searunner.com/about.html. The cockpit is in the center of the boat - in fact the mast is stepped in the cockpit! There's a fore- and aft-cabin, with berths that extend under the cockpit seats. Engine is located to one side of the centerboard trunk under the cockpit.

It's actually a very practical arrangement, as it puts the berths near the center where the motion is gentle, keeps the crew weight centered, and puts the heavy stores down low in the center of the boat. The aft cabin becomes the social area, and the fore cabin is the quiet area for the off-watch crew. With the mast, helm, and sheets all within arms reach, it's good for short-handed crews.

The main complaint I've heard is that the forward facing companionway is a problem when it's raining, as the wind tends to blow the rain inside the boat.

 

Rosborough Boats in Halifax, NS have several designs with this layout.

 

Great Cabin Aft

I have built a boat with that configuration and find it very good.

There is a table on the centerline with great storage under seats bottoms and Concordia Berths for the guests.


The galley & nav station is in the widest and smoothest part of the vessel.

The ability to open good sized ports lets us watch the excitment of others anchoring , or docking , with out apearing nosey.

The hull is Airex , so the insulation above water is good enough that only south of 10N is it necessary to rig a sun awning.

In the winter as a NYC 22 year liveaboard I have seen -17F with only a 20,000btu Dickinson furnace.

There is a size below which the boat gets too "bulky " looking but mine is 33ft looks OK and is a great sea boat.

The orig design was Maurice Griffiths " Lone Gull II" , which I had a NA stretch to 33.3 X 28 X 10.6

With a 40% ballast ratio and the complete cutter rig from "Mith of Malham" (copied from Furthur Offshore) the boat does well against most 40 ft ers , to about 15K of wind.

There the longer WL of the bigger boat takes over, and off they go .

Yes I would chose it again as it makes great sense for a live aboard for 2 or offshore with 4 Max.

FAST FRED "Sea Gypsy" Bronx NY

 

Nor'Sea Marine of Laguna Hills, California (builder of the famous Nor'Sea 27) produced the Nor'Sea 35 designed by Lyle Hess with such an interior arrangement. It was a centre cockpit, double ended cutter. The 1996 Cruising World Sailboat Show Annual has line drawings of the boat. From a practical perspective, the problem with this design is that the motion is greatest at the ends of a boat and consequently, you have the principal living and cooking areas where they are the least safe and comfortable.
Brad (Ontario Canada).